New Hillsborough inquests to begin in early 2014

Lord Goldring confirms that he will begin hearings early next year despite protests from the Police Federation against holding them concurrently to investigations into the cover-up

A new round of inquests into the deaths of 96 Liverpool supporters at Hillsborough will begin in early 2014.

The renewed hearings have been awaited since the original verdicts of accidental death were quashed in December by the High Court.

Lord Goldring, the coroner who is to head up the inquests, confirmed to an assembly of families and campaigners in London on Thursday that the hearings should go ahead on schedule despite protestations from the Police Federation about doing so while investigations into the cover-up of the disaster continue.

"Anne Williams's death is a powerful reminder, if one were needed, that there is an urgency attaching to the commencement of the inquest hearings as well as a need for that investigation to be as full as possible," he declared.

A venue is to be decided for the hearings in the following week, Lord Goldring added.

Supporters across the country marked the 24th anniversary of the disaster on the weekend of April 15, the first since last year's Hillsborough Independent Panel released its report detailing the extent of the tragedy and the resulting cover-up.